Free App Friday: TwoDots

There are some games on iOS which will have you playing for hours, completely engrosed. Others are for picking up and putting down whenever you have a free moment, in a queue or on the loo, twodots (the follow up to the popular dots game) lies somewhere in the middle. Like angry birds it is perfect for picking up and playing a level or two (or at least trying to pass a level or two) and it is also addictive and frustrating enough to cause you to keep playing for hours at a time.

The basic premise, you destroy dots on the screen by connection two or more dots in a horizontal or vertical line (not diagonal, and you can bend round corners). Each level has a target number of different colours to destroy. Destroy them all and you go up a level. Oh and to add to the difficulty new dots are added each time you destroy some and you have a limited number of moves. But if you make a square of one colour, you destroy all of that same colour on the board.

What I Like

The game play is incredibly simple and with the inbuilt tutorial, you'll have it picked up in minuets. This also helps to create a game which you can pick up and put down whenever you want with however much time you have on your hands. But don't think that means it is a breeze. Although the two dots starts very easy, it gets increasingly hard and by the time you are in the high teens you'll really have to think about what your next move is going to be.
Although the majority of the game play takes place in a very simple graphical interface, the level selection has had really attention paid to it. There are little items with limited interaction as you move along. Look out for the small details like the moving eyes in a mask or the underwater scenes that go on around your progress.

What I Don't Like

But the app isn't perfect, it follows a freemium model that could easily lead to racking up some hefty in app purchases. You have 5 lives (or attempts to do a level). If you fail apto finish in sufficent moves you can purchase extra turns or bombs to help you achieve your goal. These are the obvious options once you fail a mission. If you wish to try again you have to “give up” a very confusing label for something which really means try again. When you expire your 5 lives, you have to wait 8 minutes for your lives to reload, or you can pay to skip it.

I don't mind paying developers, in fact I'd really like to pay something to these developers to thank them for making such a great game and help them make another. But I absolutely will not make an in app purchase to play because it is a slippery slope once you start. I wish I could make a one off charge and gain infinite lives, even if it was a substantial cost.
The dots change every single time you play (though the objective and course remain the same.) this makes certain turns more difficult than others. Sometimes you will get a lower score just because you weren't dealt a good hand. It also means you can work out the best solution, instead you have to build a string of tactics to win (quick tip, look for squares).

Buy/Don't Buy

Two dots is a great way to challenge your brain, but not in as intense a way as threes! Or another similar app. It's really easy to play for a few minutes when you ae waiting for a bus or pass an hour while reclined on the sofa. Just be careful if your kids are playing on it that they don't rack up high in app purchase charges.